Browns Part Ways with RB as Nick Chubb’s Return Nears

The Cleveland Browns made a series of roster moves on Tuesday that indicate some key players — including Nick Chubb — are gearing up to return to the active roster.

The Browns waived guard Javion Cohen, defensive lineman Sam Kamara and tight end Blake Whiteheart. In addition, Cleveland released linebacker Michael Barrett, running back Royce Freeman and offensive tackle Ricky Lee from the practice squad.

Freeman is a particularly interesting name, considering his experience. A six-year veteran, he spent three weeks on the Browns’ practice squad but didn’t see any game action. With Pierre Strong Jr. returning, and both Chubb and Nyheim Hines regaining their health, Freeman became expendable for the Browns.

The Browns rank near the bottom of the league with just 96.6 yards per game on the ground. Jerome Ford has carried most of the load for the Browns, registering 250 yards on 48 carries. He’s scored one rushing touchdown.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson (25 carries for 131 yards) and D’Onta Foreman (29 carries for 93 yards) have also pitched in.

Nick Chubb in Window to Return for Browns

Chubb returned to practice on October 2, opening the 21-day window for him to be added to the active roster. He’s been out for more than a year after suffering a devastating injury in Week 2 of last season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The injury required two surgeries and relentless rehab, but Chubb is nearing his much-anticipated return to the field.

“It didn’t feel real. It felt like a dream,” Chubb said after returning to practice. “I’ve been battling this for a while now. It was great to get all that off my shoulders and finally get back out there.

“I was just hoping to get back at some point. I never had a date set in mind. Just whenever I felt good and was available to go out there, I was gonna try to go, and that’s right now.”

Browns running backs coach Duce Staley noted that Chubb has been active following his return to the practice field. He’s already had to apply the brakes a few times.

“You’ve got to save Nick from Nick,” Staley said. “He wants to go out there, he wants to be on the scout team, he wants to run around on special teams, he wants to come over there and do drills. So, you got to slow Nick down and all the players and coaches see that, and we feed off of that.”

Browns Offense Needs Spark From Nick Chubb

Chubb’s return is much-needed after a 1-4 start to the season. Cleveland is averaging 239.4 yards per game, the worst in the NFL. The Browns are scoring just 15.8 points per game, and the unit rarely looks in sync.

“It’s very disappointing,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday. “We’ll look at what we can do to score points, to stay on the field, those type of things, but the truth is we I have to coach better, we have to play better and it’s something that we will fix together.”

The Browns plan to stick with Watson, who has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league this season. Watson has passed for 852 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions this year. He’s been sacked a league-high 26 times.